If you walk into a casino and don’t employ some form of USA gambling strategy, the odds are always going to be against you. Even if you do find a system that works, the random component of any casino game guarantees that every hand, spin, or roll is just as likely to go against the player.

There are, however, methods of play that can give the player an actual mathematical advantage over the house. Customers who thrive on finding and exploiting such opportunities are known as advantage players, and an individual with patience and dedication can wind up making a lot of money in the process.

How the House Edge Works

The house edge is the amount of money that the player can realistically expect to lose over the long term while playing a particular game. While a player may still experience short-term wins, the house edge ensures that the casino comes out ahead in the long term. This is accomplished by the casino’s failure to pay out the “true odds” of a game.

The player’s chances on any game can be expressed through payback percentage and house edge. The payback percentage is the overall expected return in the long run, while the house edge is the percentage the player is expected to lose. The two numbers always add up to 100%, so a game with a payback percentage of 90% is going to have a house edge of 10%.

Fluctuations can always occur, of course, as casino games thrive on the element of chance. Just remember that as long as there’s a house edge, the player is likely to come out on the losing end over a long enough period of time.

Average Hourly Loss

In order to calculate the average amount of money that you can expect to lose each hour, you’ll need to use the following formula:

House Edge X Wager X Number of Hands = Average Loss

For example, let’s say you’re playing a slot machine with a 94% payback percentage, which gives it a house edge of 6%. You’re putting in $1 per spin and spinning the reels 400 times per hour.

That would give us:

House Edge (6) X Wager ($1) X Number of Hands (400) = That gives us a total of 2400, which is then converted to 24 by moving the invisible decimal point two spaces to the left. Each hour, your expected losses on this slot would be $24.

Advantage Techniques

An AP, or advantage player, is someone who looks for a legal way to gain an edge over the house. While casinos spends countless hours looking for ways to separate customers from their money, these individuals are just as dedicated to turning the tables and walking away as big winners.

Card Counting – The player keeps a mental tally of which high and low cards have been played. When this count is in the player’s favor, the AP makes larger bets. There’s nothing illegal about the practice, but a successful card counter may be barred from a casino.

Dice Control – Tossing the dice on a craps table so that they barely graze the back wall (thus reducing the randomizing effect).

Comp Hustling – Customers choose games with a low house edge and then play them enough to gain free items from casino management (as a reward for being a valued client).

Bonus Hunting – The player receives a bonus for signing up or making a deposit, completes the wagering requirements for withdrawal, and then cashes out with a profit.

Betting the Middle – When two bookmakers offer different lines on a sporting event, the player takes the best from each. If the outcome falls between the two numbers, then the player walks away with two wins instead of one.

Always keep in mind that any worthwhile USA gambling strategy is never easy to master. Card counting, for example, requires a tremendous amount of memory work, while dice control demands hours of practice to develop touch and build up muscle memory. This work can pay off in the long run, however, as negating or significantly reducing the house edge can transform a game of chance into a game of skill.